The invention relates to a smart card connector for two smart cards. The invention relates in particular to a smart card connector for two SIM cards.
Smart card connectors for two smart cards and also for SIM cards, are already known. See for instance DE-199 13 923 A1. Smart card connectors are used for a plurality of applications, for instance in mobile telephones, in payment systems and so on. It is frequently necessary that more than one smart card connector needs to be used. DE-199 13 923 A1 discloses a smart card connector where the smart card is a SIM card. Two SIM cards can be inserted by means of a slider. The handling or actuating portion of the slider is part of the outer wail of the apparatus or else the handling or actuating part has to be mounted behind such outer wall of the apparatus. The fact that the handling portion is part of the outer wall of the apparatus, is disadvantageous in so far as it influences the design of the housing of the apparatus. Another disadvantage is that the slider can get lost.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a smart card reader which is very small. A further object of the invention is to provide a smart card reader which is accessible from above. A still further object of the invention is to provide a smart card reader which provides for a secure and precise contact to the card contacts of the smart card(s) and can be manufactured at low cost.
In accordance with the present invention a smart card connector adapted to receive two smart cards comprises:
a first contact support, within which a set of first contact elements is arranged adapted to contact card contacts of a first smart card;
a second contact support or cover, within which a second set of contact elements is arranged adapted to contact card contacts of a second smart card; hinge means for pivotally and slideably mounting said second contact support at said first contact support so that
a) the second contact support can be pivoted from an open position extending upwardly with respect to the first contact support into a closed position, in which the second contact support is located adjacent to said first contact support and
b) the second contact support can be moved from the closed position into a locked position, wherein first and second contact supports are locked with each other.
The second contact support or cover comprises two, a first and a second card receiving spaces, adapted to receive said first and said second smart card, respectively, with the card contacts of the first smart card facing in the closed and in the locked positions of said first and second contact supports towards the first set of contact elements, while the card contacts of said second smart card face towards the contact elements in said second contact support.
The smart card connector is provided with locking means comprising first contact support locking means and second contact support or cover locking means.
The first contact support comprises two longitudinally opposite ends. At a first end, the first contact support is provided with said first contact support hinge means adapted to cooperate with said second support or cover hinge means provided at a first of two oppositely longitudinally spaced ends of the cover. Together, the first and second contact support hinge means for the hinge means referred to above.
Due to this design there is access to the smart card reader from above and the smart cards can be inserted into the second contact support (cover), which is then pivoted into its closed position and is slideably moved into its locked position at the first contact support.
The second set of contact elements supported by the cover comprises xe2x80x9cfloating termination endsxe2x80x9d, which are adapted to contact a third set of contact elements also mounted in said cover. Said contact elements of said third set of contact elements have ends adapted to contact said termination ends of said second set of contact elements and also termination ends, which are adapted to form SMT contacts for the connection with pads on the circuit board. Said second set of contact elements and said first set of contact elements being preferably arranged such that only in a locking position of the cover the termination ends of said second set of contact elements are in contact with said connecting ends of said third set of contact elements.
In contrast to a smart card connector according to DE 199 13 923 A1, also called a SIMLOCK (trademark), according to the present invention, the smart cards inserted into the cover are moved together with the cover at the time the cover is moved into its locking position. However, this does not have to be necessarily so. When carrying out the locking of the cover at the first contact support, i.e. when sliding the cover from the closed position of the cover towards the locking position, the first card slides along the contact cusps of the first set of contact elements and the second card slides along the contact cusps of the second contact elements for a distance corresponding to the path from the closing position to the locking position.
In the first contact support a polarizing inclination is provided for the first smart card. If the first smart card is not inserted in the proper manner, then the cover cannot be locked to the first contact support. For the second smart card the cover is provided with a polarizing inclination. Here, an erroneously inserted card cannot be completely inserted and the cover cannot be locked.
The first contact support is provided with abutment means. The abutment means make it impossible that erroneously inserted smart cards can be locked. The abutment means further avoid a movement of the smart cards out of the cover when the cover is locked with the first contact support.
Preferably, the cover is provided in its closed, i.e. not yet locked Condition, with a pre-locking position, in which the smart card connector is adapted for xe2x80x9cpicking and placingxe2x80x9d and also for the reflow soldering process.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention the smart card connector is provided with a switch, which senses the locking position of the cover. Two additional contact elements are provided for this purpose in the cover. These two contact elements are stamped together with the second contact elements and preferably form together with two additional contact elements adjacent to the third set of contact elements a short-circuit bridge, when the locking position is reached.